Too Much Entertainment in Sioux Falls???

July 20, 2013 is going to be one of (if not THE) busiest days for entertainment Sioux Falls, SD has ever seen. As is the case most years, Sioux Falls JazzFest will take place in Yankton Trail Park the third weekend of July (last year it was moved back a week to accommodate the Blues Angels and the Sioux Falls Air Show) Headlining the festival that night will be Sheryl Crow. Other bands scheduled to appear that day include: Doyle Bramhall II, Beau Soleil, Mingo Fishtrap and Kris Lager Band.

A few months ago, Grand Falls Casino in Larchwood, IA announced plans for their summer outdoor concert series that includes classic rockers REO Speedwagon playing an outdoor show Saturday evening, July 20.

Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com

Then in April, it was announced that country music superstar Tim McGraw with special guest Brantley Gilbert, would play an outdoor show at the Sioux Empire Fairgrounds Saturday night July 20.

(Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images)

So now there are three distinct music genres available in three different outdoor venues (not to mention all the local bars that will also have live music that night). Instead of being happy that there are so many choices, or proud that a city the size of Sioux Falls could be fortunate enough to host such great entertainment, many people decided to COMPLAIN!?!

Comments like “don’t they look to see what else is going on that day?” to “why would they put all those shows on the same day?” to “Why didn’t they book Tim McGraw in the fall?” were all too common on my Facebook wall to talking to people while out at shows or appearances.

I understand that most people don’t ‘get’ the inner-workings of booking acts. But you HAVE to realize that we’re not living in Los Angeles, Dallas, New York, etc. We generally don’t get to choose which big name acts come to our town. And we don’t get to tell them when to come. Many big name artists couldn’t find Sioux Falls, SD on a map honestly (though we’re all hoping that changes by next year as our new 13,000 seat Event Center opens)

Most of the time when we get these acts to come here, it’s based on routing and open dates before the money is even discussed. Is the band going to be somewhere in our region? Do they have an open date or two on the tour to swing into Sioux Falls, SD. Do they WANT to play Sioux Falls, SD. How much will it cost to get them here?

Personally I applaud Pepper Entertainment for booking the McGraw concert. It’s a guaranteed sellout of 9200+ and is going to be a homerun for country fans. There is no way they could have told McGraw’s people that we have events planned that day and could they come back in the fall. The tour simply would have booked another city the night we have them, and they likely wouldn’t have returned to Sioux Falls in the next few years if ever.

I did an unscientific experiment with the people who were the most vocal and asked hypothetically, if the three shows were on three separate weekends in July instead of all the same day, how many they would attend. Most said one. ONE. So what the hell are you complaining for??? Pick your favorite and go! You don’t realize how good we have it here in Sioux Falls. To get THREE shows of this caliber in our town in one night is unheard of. And I don’t see one hurting the other attendance-wise as most who are going to REO would have no interest in the other shows. People going to McGraw, likely weren’t going to JazzFest anyway. And most going to JazzFest have no interest in the other shows. So live and let live. Stop complaining and get out and enjoy these incredible performers that we’re so fortunate to have come here.

And on the other nights, when we don’t have these global superstars in our midst, just a reminder to get out, at least every once in awhile, and support our local and regional musicians and all these great venues we have in town. You’d be amazed at what you’ll see and hear if you stop complaining, get off the couch and off Facebook and go to a show. Maybe then you’d see just how good we really have it in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Welcome back to B102.7 - Sioux Falls Classic Rock

It appears that you already have an account created within our VIP network of sites on .
To keep your points and personal information safe, we need to verify that it's really you.
To activate your account, please confirm your password.
When you have confirmed your password, you will be able to log in through Facebook on both sites.

*Please note that your points, prizes and activities will not be shared between programs within our VIP network.

Welcome back to B102.7 - Sioux Falls Classic Rock

It appears that you already have an account on this site associated with . To connect your existing account just click on the account activation button below. You will maintain your existing VIP profile. After you do this, you will be able to always log in to http://b1027.com using your original account information.